Chapter 677 28: Gains

Tarlu's staff strike had a wide motion, its intent obvious. It wasn't fast and could be easily dodged. In a formal fight, this would only count as a friendly opening move.

Chen Chuan, however, didn't choose to dodge. He could see that although it was just an opening move, the Power it contained flowed through from beginning to end with exceptional smoothness, far better than what she had shown in their previous spars.

So he stepped forward directly, parrying with the back of his blade. CLANG! He blocked the staff. Tarlu shouted, withdrawing the staff and then thrusting it forward. He flicked his saber and deflected it again.

Immediately after, a whistling, vibrating sound that made one's scalp tingle filled the air, and afterimages of the staff smashed down from all directions.

As Chen Chuan blocked, he clearly felt that Tarlu hadn't increased her physical strength by much, but her Power had changed significantly. This time, it was no longer a double-layered Power. Instead, it was one layer after another, stacking and transmitting over and over, surging forward like an endless stream of water.

He had experienced the techniques of Single Stream Hall before, and with a bit of analysis, he recognized this as their Double Force. The difference was that the vibrations from the Long Staff had been added, creating a kind of link between each application of Double Force. This formed a continuous, unending stream of Power.

And this linking technique, by his judgment, should be something adapted from the Secret Transmission of Anyao Hall.

This wasn't as simple as just adding the force from the staff. Whether it was Anyao Hall or Single Stream Hall, their Power was designed to target a Mutated Organization. Stacking the Power like this was enough to have a greater impact on and cause more destruction to an opponent's Mutated Organization.

The Long Staff played a huge role in this. With a Mutated Weapon in hand, Tarlu's combat prowess had seen a qualitative leap.

If this were a duel to the death, the easiest way to break this technique would be to counter the Power head-on, overwhelming it with a higher-level Heart Force to directly disperse it.

However, since Tarlu had requested a spar to practice techniques, responding with technique was the most appropriate course of action.

He immediately switched to Horizontal Training Strength. The transmitted Power constantly resonated with his Mutated Organization, making it feel sore, numb, and bloated, and preventing it from coalescing. Clearly, her technique could also counter Horizontal Training.

He realized that if he purely used Horizontal Training Strength to defend without attacking, he would be fine for a short while, but over time, his defense would likely be shattered by the vibrations. He couldn't help but inwardly praise the ingenuity of this Power.

Given his current self-imposed restraints, he had to take the offensive to suppress her assault and interrupt her Emitting Force. So, he stopped defending in place.

He abruptly raised his saber, letting the staff strike his shoulder. He blocked the blow with a simple Horizontal Training Strength, then advanced at a speed nearly matching hers. With a flash of his blade, he slashed forward.

Tarlu had already adjusted her breathing the moment he chose to tank the Power. As he advanced, she retreated, maintaining the same distance from Chen Chuan. Then, she switched her grip with her front hand on the staff, angling the front of the staff to one side as if to parry and deflect. But as the blade arrived, she suddenly shouted. Her front hand pressed down and her rear hand rose up, using the exposed butt of the staff to strike the body of the blade.

CRACK! The blade instantly shattered, one end flying violently away.

This was Single Stream Hall's unique Double Blade Breaking Force, designed specifically to counter the Saber Techniques of Anyao Hall. In that instant, power gathered at the end of the staff. A light tap was all it took to shatter a Weapon.

And once someone from Anyao Hall lost their saber, they couldn't use more than half of their skills.

This technique was undoubtedly very effective against people from Anyao Hall, but Chen Chuan didn't rely on his Saber Technique. He was completely unaffected. As the front half of his blade flew off, he took advantage of the moment Tarlu was Emitting Force to close the distance, continuing to thrust the broken blade in his hand at her as if it were a short knife.

A Long Staff is almost useless once an opponent gets in close. At this moment, however, Tarlu made another change. With a surge of strength in both hands—SNAP!—the Long Staff broke in the middle, becoming two short batons. With a flick of her wrists, she knocked the broken blade aside and then thrust both batons forward in unison.

When Chen Chuan dodged backward, she spun, swinging the two short batons up and down. They created a whooshing sound as they cut through the air, smashing, flicking, chopping, and striking from all angles.

Chen Chuan matched her strength and speed, blocking more than ten moves in a row. It was then that he started to notice that as her momentum built, the Power on her batons grew stronger and stronger.

It wasn't that her own physical strength had increased, but that her application of Power was becoming more fluid and her force generation more efficient. It was also possible that parts of her Mutated Organization were undergoing minor growth and change.

But even though he was suppressing his own strength, his combat experience couldn't just vanish. He soon caught a brief gap in her breathing. It seemed to be because she hadn't adjusted a certain rhythm in her attack, or perhaps there were still some flaws in the combination of the two halls' Power.

In short, it was an opening.

He believed that Tarlu's purpose for sparring with him, besides getting a better grasp of her Power, was also to have him help her find the openings in her offense. So, without any courtesy, he took advantage of the gap to slash at one of the batons, prying open half of her guard. He switched from defense to offense, stepping in and continuously chopping with his blade.

Tarlu couldn't withdraw her deflected baton in time to defend, so she could only block with the single remaining one. But now that Chen Chuan understood her method of Emitting Force, he timed his attacks with her breathing, striking at the very node of her power emission every time. This prevented her from fully exerting her strength, causing her to retreat half a step with every blow she blocked. Her originally tight and integrated Power began to loosen.

After more than ten consecutive slashes, Chen Chuan felt that the resistance in front of him had severely weakened. He executed a sudden upward flick. CLANG! That short baton went flying.

However, he could feel that at the last moment, Tarlu had given up on it intentionally. She leaned back, dodging the broken blade, then twisted her body and closed in.

Chen Chuan's control over his Power was seamless. He let the blade drop, instantly pressing it against her shoulder. But she paid it no mind, using her turn to whip the other short baton toward his abdomen and ribs.

He reached out and slapped the baton away, only to find it had no force behind it. Tarlu shouted, and her now-empty hand shot out to grab his elbow.

Single Stream Hall primarily focused on fists and feet, with their greatest strength actually being Scattering Hand, but they also had some Capture techniques. This move, Injury Return, was meant for breaking a stalemate at a critical moment.

But for the same reason as before, this move was very effective against Anyao Hall, but it failed to have the intended effect on Chen Chuan. With a twist and grab of his hand, he not only countered Tarlu's hold but also seized her wrist. Capturing Force instantly entered her body, and half of Tarlu's body went numb.

Before she could recover, the broken blade was already resting against her neck. Seeing this, she immediately gave up any intention of continuing.

Seeing her relax her tense body, Chen Chuan released her and stepped back a few paces.

Tarlu moved her sore and numb side. Once she was standing straight again, she gave him a deep bow and said solemnly, "Mr. Chen, thank you so much!"

Chen Chuan returned the gesture with a cupped fist salute and said, "You're welcome."

When Tarlu straightened up again, she showed no frustration from her loss. Instead, her expression was one of great excitement. In the fight just now, she had comprehended many things that she probably couldn't have figured out on her own even after long periods of study. Once she went back and digested it all, her strength would surely take another great leap forward.

Chen Chuan had also gained something from this. Tarlu's display of Power had given him a lot of inspiration, especially how combining the Power of the Long Staff with her own had more than doubled her strength.

This made him think that the Power he was developing shouldn't be independent. To a certain extent, it should be able to combine with the Weapon he used, and when using a Weapon, it should be able to unleash even greater strength than his fists and feet. Only then could he bring out the true advantage of a Weapon.

'Hmm, once the Snow Monarch Blade awakens, I can research this aspect more deeply.'

Since it was still early, he didn't linger. He left with Tarlu, who had gained a great deal, and returned to the island's surface.

This time, to thank him for helping repel Anyao Hall, Elder Gan specially arranged a bonfire party and prepared a great deal of the island's local delicacies for him.

Chen Chuan wasn't in a hurry. After tasting the delicacies, he returned to the Rift alone to continue his cultivation.

With no more interruptions, he returned to his previous training rhythm: accumulating spiritual energy here at night, and returning to the front of the Lotus Seat during the day to relax and perform other exercises.

Sometimes, he would also try to teach some of the Single Stream Hall disciples.

He had seen many of Single Stream Hall's Secret Transmissions before. Although he didn't use them himself, with his insight, it wasn't hard for him to understand them. He could tell at a glance what stage these disciples were at and where their individual problems lay.

His guidance produced immediate and obvious results, which led to more disciples coming to ask for his instruction.

He didn't mind this, because Single Stream Hall had only about twenty disciples in total, more than half of whom were children. Only a mere three or four were able to receive his guidance.

Besides, he had Wuyi's teaching certificate. While it granted him resources, it surely came with the requirement of teaching some students. This was a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the process.

「A few days later.」

The strong winds that had battered the island for more than ten consecutive days finally subsided.

On this day, when he returned to the cliff mountain from the Rift, he looked outside and saw a clear, limpid blue sky. White sails dotted the surface of the sea, and a thick, gray-white fog rose from the island high into the heavens.

'It's now the end of July. Not much time is left. I'll have to go back in late August.'

He glanced back and saw many disciples practicing their fists and feet on the platform under Elder Gan's guidance, but he didn't see Tarlu. He thought for a moment. It seemed he hadn't seen her for several days.

'That's unusual.'

He thought for a moment, then walked over to Elder Gan and asked, "Elder Gan, where has Tarlu been the last few days?"

Elder Gan said, "I was just about to tell you, Mr. Chen." He had the disciples continue practicing on their own, then said, "People from the Overseas Development Group have arrived on Luo Wang Island. They sent someone earlier to invite Tarlu, saying they want to discuss the continued existence of the Fighting Hall."

...

...